Sir, - For years now journalists, priests and caring organisations have been bemoaning the plight of the poor in this country. The lack of response from government officials proves how ineffectual these people and groups really are.
It should be clear that the only way the underprivileged will ever improve their conditions is when they take to the streets and demonstrate. It wasn't until the nationalists in the North did this in the late 1960s that the governments on both sides of the water began to take notice of them.
A well attended march to Leinster House, coinciding with a visit from a foreign dignitary, would being about improvements which cannot be achieved through well-intentioned pleading.
It would also prove to the people in deprived areas that they can bring about change and might give meaning to the kids who can see no further than the needle and the spoon. - Yours, etc.,
John McKee, Hillview Lawn, Pottery Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.